Andy Rathbone - Surface For Dummies

Microsoft Surface For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2014931351

ISBN 978-1-111-89863-5 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-91661-2 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-89875-8 (ebk)

Manufactured in the United States of America

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Chapter 1

In This Chapter

Choosing between a Microsoft Surface and other tablets

Selecting the right Microsoft Surface

Understanding the difference between the regular and pro Surface models

Identifying the different Surface models

Understanding your Surfaces storage space

Many people stay tied to a desktop PC at work. They sit in front of a deskbound workhorse that lets them create documents, spreadsheets, and whatever other humdrum files their boss requires that day.

When its time to relax, however, many of those same people reach for a tablet. Lightweight and portable, tablets make it easy to watch videos, listen to music, browse the web, and check e-mail.

But what if you had a tablet that did it all? You could create files when work called but consume files during your leisure.

Thats the promise of a Microsoft Surface tablet. Its finger-friendly Start screen lets you switch between videos, music, e-books, e-mail, and the web. And, come Monday morning, you can switch to the Windows desktop, fire up Outlook, Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, and get to work.

This chapter explains Microsofts four models of Surface tablets: The two older models, Surface RT and Surface Pro, and the two new models, Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2. I describe them each in detail, highlighting their features, their strengths, and their weaknesses.

Most computer manufacturers create computers, including Windows tablets, as cheaply as possible. By coming up with the lowest price tag, they hope to undercut their competitors. Instead of taking the same road to the bottom, Microsoft created its line of Surface tablets as a showpiece, designed to show off Windows tablets at their finest.

To do that, Microsoft designed the Surface in-house with a large budget and engineering team, a luxury not available to most computer manufacturers.

Competitors cut costs by wrapping their tablets in cheap plastic. Microsoft Surface models, by contrast, come sheathed in a magnesium alloy. The rugged but lightweight casing gives the tablet a solid feel.

The Surface includes a built-in kickstand, shown in Figure . An optional attachable keyboard doubles as a cover when not in use.

Photo image provided by Microsoft

Figure 1-1: Every Surface model includes a kickstand to prop it up at a comfortable viewing angle.

Why not just buy an iPad? Well, theyre attractive tablets that excel at what they do, but theyre limited. Without a built-in USB port, iPads dont let you transfer files easily between your tablet and desktop PC. Every Surface tablet, by contrast, includes a full-sized USB port, making it easy to swap files through flash drives or even portable hard drives.

When iPad owners need to work, they usually reach for their laptop. Surface owners simply flip their keyboard into place, load the familiar Windows desktop, and head for the mainstays of Microsoft Office: Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote.

When youre ready to hit the road again, flip back the keyboard and run, taking all of your files with you.

Your Surface strips computing down to its essentials, creating a lightweight and mobile workstation that lets you add on accessories when necessary:

• Fingers: Your fingertips may be the only accessory you need. Touchscreens simplify many mobile computing tasks. Its easy to scroll through large documents with a flick of your finger, for example. Plus, touchscreens often seem more natural, especially when paging through digital books, maneuvering through maps, or resizing digital photos.